Issue 43 on the November 7 Ballot

After a two-and-a-half-year facilities master planning process, Upper Arlington voters endorsed rebuilding the high school and renovating or rebuilding all five elementary schools in a vote of 55% to 45% for Issue 43 on November 7.

Issue 43 stemmed from the work of community volunteers and more than 8,000 touch points with residents over the course of the master planning process. The success of the combined 3.75-mill operating levy and $230 million bond issue secures the needed funding for the first phase of the master plan as well as the operating dollars needed to maintain current academic programs. The bond issue will be collected at a rate of 5.17 mills above current collections.

What does Issue 43 fund?

Issue 43 maintains current educational programming and funds the first phase of the community-developed master plan. The first phase involves rebuilding the high school and rebuilding or renovating all five elementary schools to address the aging building systems (HVAC, plumbing, mechanical, electrical) and add the needed space to accommodate projected enrollment growth. The first phase also includes addressing drainage issues and installing a turf field and baseball/softball diamonds on the district-owned land behind Tremont Elementary School to serve as needed athletic space.

What happens next?

None of the new or renovated school buildings is designed yet. So the school district is launching a design phase for the new high school and the five new or renovated elementary schools. The design phase will involve any and all community members, staff members and students who wish to participate.

Over the course of the next 12 to 15 months, the design phase will involve: community-wide meetings beginning in December, a "green team" of community volunteers with an interest in exploring environmental best practices for the new or renovated buildings, and neighbor committees of residents living in the closest proximity to the buildings. Community members can look for more information soon!

Additionally, to prepare for construction at the high school, residents will also see work beginning on the athletic fields on the district-owned land behind Tremont Elementary School in the spring of 2018. The turf field and baseball/softball diamonds are tentatively expected to be completed by the fall of 2018.

After the design phase concludes, community members can expect construction to follow this tentative timeline:

Early 2019: Construction begins at the high school, Greensview, Wickliffe, Barrington and Tremont.

Fall of 2020: Greensview, Wickliffe, Barrington and Tremont would open to students. Windermere students would be housed for the 2020-2021 school year in the old Wickliffe building.

Fall of 2021: The new Windermere and high school would open to students.

Fall of 2022: The new high school site would be completed, with the old building demolished and the space developed into athletic field space.

What will Issue 43 cost homeowners?

For an Upper Arlington homeowner, the ballot issue means an annual property tax increase of approximately $312 per $100,000 in 2018 market value, as determined by the Franklin County auditor. For the owner of a home with a 2018 market value of $400,000, it means an annual increase of approximately $1,248. Market value isn't what your home would sell for — it's an amount determined by the county auditor and available on your property listing on the auditor's website.